brain dump

   So as it appears that no one reads this anyway I think I will start using this as a journal or maybe even a brain dump.

  Today is August 16, 2016. We are deep into the rainy season, with rain every afternoon, sometimes all night and sometimes all day. My backyard is mud with weeds and grass on top. The good news is it's very green. So it looks good as long as you don't try to walk on it.

   The orchids we put on the oak look good, they did have a brief period of adjustment but seem to have settled in well.

   I've moved the rubber tree from the driveway to the backyard and it's doing much better there. I added some potting soil and I've given it Reiki several times. Over the weekend I charged some Quartz and added them to the pot. It is sprouting new growth on all the branches. I think it was just to hot for it out front.

   The new porch is fabulous. We love it and are using it even through the intense heat. Feels like temps of 112 every day. I've been able to move the spider from the backyard to the porch. Also several plants from the dining room. I'm on the lookout for a 3 seater deep seating outdoor sofa for the porch. That will be the last piece to complete the porch.

   My eating has been completely out of control. Sugar every day. I haven't been gaining on the scale but I am noticing body changes. I'm not sure how to stop. Or why I'm doing it. I am still exercising a couple times per week. I just need to get back to my good habits. I feel better when I'm able to move a little bit. I think all the rain is keeping me from exercising, rain makes me hurt. But it doesn't make me eat, lol.

   My dog Lucky is doing so much better. After falling off the couch and breaking a vertebrae in his back he was unable to jump up or down and was medicated so he slept in his crate a lot. That was about 8 weeks ago.  He can now jump down off of laps or the couch but he down not even attempt to jump up. He doesn't try to stand up on his hind legs at all. We are going to attempt to make a ramp for him to get up and down from the couch.

   Patrick wants to get a small TV with the antenna instead of cable for the porch for football season. So I guess that will actually be the last piece for the porch.  We'll see.

   I'm crocheting an afghan for Patrick's sister for Christmas. She is having a really hard time, and I want her to feel like we are hugging her when she uses it. When that is done I need to do a grocery bag holder for Penn and one for Lane. Fortunately those go quick. Here's the one I use.

I might do a couple of hats for them too. I need to do a hat for Jordin, and those things that peek out of the top of boots for Estrella. Sam's friend wants a dice bag too. Time for a run to Michaels for some red and black yarn. I want both colors in one skein. that way I don't have to join and weave ends in.

   I've been trying again to schedule out meals for the week, but I'm just not able to keep to the schedule. When I have a bad day pain wise I just can't cook. So I'm trying to make extra on the days I do cook and freeze it so that we just have to thaw and heat up.


Todays Food List:

• Avocado
• coffee with Splenda, salt, agave, HWC
• 1 piece of bacon
• 3 chocolate chip cookies

Plan for dinner is chicken, baked potatoes and salad.

   Pills for the week are parceled out and I need refills for 2 meds, but I have to wait till the end of the week to call that in.

   I haven't accomplished too much today. I stayed in bed till 11:30. I weeded the Day Lilies and Society Garlic for about 30 minutes or maybe it just felt like 30 minutes. I baked some cookies to take to Jordin tonight. And that's about it. And I have to be okay with that because sometimes you just have to rest. Sunday took a lot out of me. Dinner party for 6.

   Tomorrow I'm taking Brenda out. I think we'll go to International Mall. I need to go to Sephora for Anastasia Brow pencil in Carmel. I'm completely out. I've been using the Ash Blonde but it's a bit too light.

project list

1. wash wall on porch
2. paint front door
3. pressure wash house
4. paint shutters
5. oil porch ceiling
6. paint hallway
7. pavers for patio in backyard
8. plant the Lily and the purple thing in front yard
9. plant the Ginger and Ti plant in back yard
10. get P to put away comforter in suitcase and back on top shelf in closet

  

Wedding News

This is my daughter and her family. They are getting married in March of next year. So lot's of plans and excitement going on here. 

Of course I've got her set up with a wedding planner, more sticky notes than she knows what to do with and tons of Bridal magazines. 

She is planning a small formal intimate ceremony and reception. Elegant and romantic. Her colors are Eggplant and Gold. We're going to make it brilliant with crystal and mirrors so there is lots of sparkling light. 

We're thinking of something like this for the ceremony:

we will not have the flowers, it will be crystals, pearls, grapevine and ribbon. 

The plan is to make the arch somewhat like this:

She doesn't like the buckets, not sure yet what we will use instead, maybe planters. But she does like the Hydrangeas. 

Nothing will happen until she books the venue, which she is dragging her feet on. A lot of places are already booked up so fingers crossed that she will find something. 

I am very excited, it has been a year of weddings, I got married in April, P's business partner got married on June, and P's best friend will be getting married this winter. Love is in the air! 

Bougainvillaea Update

I keep seeing that picture of the Bougainvillaea further down the page and I wanted to show you how much it's grown. I pruned her pretty severely last Spring and she has just gone crazy. She needs to be pruned again, but I don't want to cut off her flowers.

I added another matching Bougainvillaea in a pot on the other side of the steps. It's huge but no blooms. There were blooms when I bought it, so I know they are the same color, but she dropped them when we transplanted her.

I can't wait till they are both blooming at the same time. I'm hoping I can get them trained up and over the doorway. Wouldn't that be magical to walk through?

Front yard

We've  made a nice spot to sit in the front yard. It's not shady in this picture, but in  the morning it's a nice shady spot to take a break from weeding.

My plan is to paint the bench slats each a different color like a rainbow and write an affirmative phrase on each. Always so much to do and not enough time to fit it all in.

I'd like to paint that chair too, but it's plastic and I don't like the colors available in the spray on plastic paint. I want to paint it Purple or Fuchsia  but the H.D, only has primary colors.

We added some vines to the trellis there on the right. A Purple Passion Flower and a Pink Allamanda. The Roses are still there but not growing very quickly so the vines are filling in the bare spaces.

The Ice Plant has filled in the front garden very well, I'll try to get a picture soon.

Early morning visitor

Happy List

I can't believe it's August already. The summer has just flown by.
It has taken me literally months to get myself back to normal after my house guest earlier this year. I'm finally feeling like myself, so here is my

 GRATITUDE LIST


Patrick (currently in the kitchen scrubbing up the dishes)
Lilly -- seizure free x 3.5 weeks
Giant Bougainvillaea we potted last weekend for the front of the house. It's pink and matches the one by the front door. In the pot it's about 6 feet tall. wheeee
Bird feeder outside the dining room windows. There's a limited variety but endlessly entertaining. The Blue Jays and Cardinals are constantly feuding and the Woodpeckers sweep in during the lulls. There's a juvenile Woodpecker that gets frightened off by the Blue Jays and hooks into the window screen and just hangs there screaming and peeping.
My presentation at work went really well. Thanks to my boss for giving me the opportunity.
Going to the Beach for the weekend.

30 Days of Lists

I finished my book for the 30 Days of Lists challenge. You can find it here . The idea is that we're all to busy to do a whole page everyday but still want to be creative. So the organizers thought everyone can manage a list. They are posting a prompt every morning in September, so everyday a journal prompt to create a list.

You can do as much or as little as you like. I imagine some days I will barely have time or energy to make the bare bones list and others will be painted, glued and glittered within an inch of their lives.

This is my first attempt at book making, and I had a lot of fun figuring out how to do it. I cut the paper out of old surveys that P was throwing out. The cover is Mat Board and fabric scraps I had laying around and a leftover quilt block.

I didn't quite get my tying right on the pages so I hope they hold together. If not there is always glue and tape. Just makes it that much more interesting. .